Physical movement has been the subject of technology directed to how to improve motor skills and computer video game technology directed to symbolized movements by on-screen (displayed) images. Neither technology has combined the use of real and simulated demonstrative images, performing real and/or simulated movements in a simulated environment, interacting with idiosyncratically controlled user controllable images interactively controlled by users.
The present invention is directed to the development of user controllable images which perform simulated, interactive, physical, responsive, movements, displayed on a display screen, to demonstrative image movements, without the user necessarily making the same or related movement. Accordingly, the present invention teaches ways to produce technical effects that ensure users to control user controllable images as persona, on-screen agents.
Moreover, the present invention teaches the development of technical capabilities for user controllable images that enable users to interactively control user controllable image simulated physical movements. The present invention further teaches techniques whereby a processing system can be used to pre-store, maintain and pre-program such movements. Simulated movement capabilities and limits (parameters) within the processing system are constructed so as to affect user controllable images by: 1) maintaining processing system memory of user transmitted idiosyncratic input controls causing movement of the user controllable image, 2) providing updating capability of such maintained (user controllable image) memory, 3) providing for synchronous additions to such updated memory, 4) retaining such memory as a base upon which subsequent additional movement recordation, may be added, 5) allowing user review, i.e. causing the processing system to repeat prior, idiosyncratic user input controls resulting in user controllable image movements, 6) selecting the characteristic parameters of a user controllable image, 7) selecting the speed of movement and controlling sequential locationing of the user controllable image, 8) establishing pre-programmed user controllable image movement limitations (i.e. physical movement parameters), 9) using a pre-programmed model of movements within a processing system, to measure user control of user controllable images, 10) providing a means to decrease user controllable image movement error rate, 11) providing the user with control over the position and orientation of the user controllable image with respect to any axis, 12) allowing at least two user controllable images to respond to each other, and in a variety of other ways and by other means.
The present invention is technically applicable to any user choosing to control any kind of user controllable image to simulate any physical movement in any simulated environment. Therefore, the present invention may be used for learning, pre-training, amusement and the like. The user controllable images as a dinosaur may be caused to respond to the preferred physical movements of a demonstrative image of a dinosaur. The user controllable image as a bulldozer operator may be caused to simulate the movements of a demonstrative image operating a bulldozer in a preferred manner. A small child user may cause a user controllable image (in the form of one hand) to simulate the movement of alphabetized wooden blocks into a series so as to spell a word as is demonstrated by demonstrative image movements. In terms of the scope of the present invention, industrial, commercial, learning, amusement and sports are some of the areas of its application. We proceed to teach sports embodiments.
Technology that has been designed for sports and other activities involving motor skills is generally dedicated to improving strength, swing, motion, balance, speed and agility. Accordingly, for golf and other sports, swinging motion trajectory is emphasized. For the most part the focus has been on developing aids for the individual athlete to improve a particular physical skill. Relatedly, technology for hazardous or potentially jeopardizing work, such as airplane piloting, is generally directed to practice in a simulated environment. In both areas mentioned above (motor skills and dangerous or jeopardizing work) the emphasis is on the individual taking action, i.e., making improvements that imitate real circumstances. The prior art related to sports and physical actions is generally aided by technology directed to biomechanics and locomotion, i.e. to executing motor skills.
There is little technology that is used for instruction or simulation in playing sports such as ice hockey. Commonplace instructional aids include stopwatches, plastic orange cones (used for skating drills), parachutes (pulled to increase leg strength), 2".times.4" boards (used for jumping in agility, speed, and balance drills), and surgical tubing harnesses (to increase strength and force the skater to skate while bent forward at the waist). None of the devices noted above provide the student wit instructive and cognitive information concerning principles, tactics, maneuvers, skills and strategies used in physical activities such as playing ice hockey. In addition, these devices do not enable the player to receive quantitative feed-back concerning his/her progress in learning and mastering the cognitive aspects of the sport.